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Orange County Clerk-Recorder Under Investigation For Sexual Misconduct

Carlos Bustamante, a former county official who is now accused of sexually assaulting female workers in his office, was the reason of a new county protocol when it comes to misconduct complaints directed towards human resource departments.

As to the Bustamante case, it took law enforcement nearly one year to address and investigate the allegations stated against Bustamante. The complaints were handed off to a law firm which prepared a report that county officials filed away.

After charges against Bustamante were announced in July 2012, the county was criticized for its carelessness in investigating the stated allegations which spanned eight years.
Now, complaints are directed to a compliance oversight committee and if a complaint is filed involving a high-ranking executive or elected official, the county will hire an outside law firm or attorney who specializes in workplace issues and complaints involving fraud, misconduct or sexual harassment.

Presently, Orange County Clerk-Recorder Tom Daly, a former mayor of Anaheim, is under investigation for alleged sexual misconduct.

County officials supposedly received an anonymous letter from “Concerned County Employees” alleging that there was “sexual misconduct, favoritism and cronyism” going on in Daly’s office. The Times, The Voice of OC, a local nonprofit news agency, had a hold of the letter and were the first ones to report it.

The letter, which was five pages long, names several women and states that they received pay raises for no real reason, promotions and preferential treatment. According to the letter, some of the women were referred to by the staff as “Tommy’s Girl” or “Tommy’s Angels” and has improper sexual relations.

Daly’s defense attorney pointed out that due to Daly running in the Assembly’s 69th district, the letter was likely politically motivated and additionally Daly’s attorney presented declarations signed by four of the accused women stating that the allegations were untrue.